Seemingly: A song about "good" patriots and citizens

Actually: Those "good patriots"... that ain't me! I ain't no fortunate son!

Briefly used by Richard Nixon as a campaign song before he ever sat down and heard THE CHORUS

IT AINT ME! IT AINT ME! I AINT NO SENATORS SON!

Seemingly: A patriotic call for endurance through potentially rough times.

Actually: A vet comes home after fighting for his country and gets no help. "Born In The U.S.A." is more like "But I was born in the U.S.A.! How can this be what's happening?"

George Will: He is no whiner, and the recitation of closed factories and other problems always seems punctuated by a grand, cheerful affirmation: 'Born in the U.S.A.!'"

Seemingly: ??? Good Dance Song?

Actually: I think my girlfriend wants to cheat on me, but is afraid of losing our relationship, so let's end it now because staying together and being unhappy is dumb. Everyone else, lets just have a good time to avoid all this nonsense.

Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance

If what they say is "Nothing is forever"
Then what makes - then what makes
Love the exception? So why oh why oh, are we so in denial?

My baby don't mess around
Because she loves me so
And this I know for sho
But does she really want it
But can't stand to see me
Walk out the door?

Actually: Pop songs are formulaic and the listeners aren't discerning, yet pop songs are a necessary evil so artists can make money so they can say real things on their other "real" songs... So why not make a fake pop song explaining that concept, so at least I can feel better about having to write pop songs.

Seemingly: ??? A song about peter pan?

So desperately I sing to thee Of love, Sure but also of rage and hate and pain and fear of self And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf I've tried -- well no in fact I lied Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside To hide or slide I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died 

And only then shall I abide this tide Of catchy little tunes Of hip three minute ditties I wanna bust all your balloons I wanna burn all your cities to the ground I've found I will not mess around Unless I play then hey I will go on all day Hear what I say I have a prayer to pray That's really all this was And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck I don't rely on luck because

Actually: A comment on the value of love songs. An ironic response to John Lennon's accusation that all McCartney does is write poppy love songs.

Seemingly: Professing Love To Someone

You'd think that people
Would've had enough of silly love songs
But I look around me
And I see it isn't so

Some people want to fill the world
With silly love songs
And what's wrong with that?
I'd like to know
Cause here I go again

I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you

Seemingly: Sir Mix a lot really likes big butts.

Actually: Yes, he loves big butts, but so does everyone else. The established concept of "skinny = beautiful" is wrong, and comes from whitewashing perpetrated by popular media.

Becky, look at her butt...

she's just so... black!

I like big butts and I can not lie,
You other brothers can't deny

I'm tired of magazines
Sayin' flat butts are the thing
Take the average black man and ask him that
She gotta pack much back

So I'm looking at rock videos
Watching these bimbos walking like hoes
You can have them bimbos
I'll keep my women like Flo Jo

when it comes to females, Cosmo ain't got nothin'
To do with my selection...

So Cosmo says you're fat
Well I ain't down with that!

To the beanpole dames in the magazines:
You ain't it, Miss Thing!

Seemingly: I'm depressed, but your love is the only good thing in my life.

Actually: I'm a vampire, but your love is the only good thing in my life.

Great example of Author Confirmation! Was Originally "Vampires In Love"

Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by (because I'm a vamp now)

Every now and then I get a little bit terrified (of being a vampire)  And then I see the look in your eyes... bright eyes!

And if you only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever (because vamps live forever)

I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark (because sunlight burns my vampire body)

Once upon a time there was light in my life (because I was human)
But now there's only love in the dark (because I'm a vamp)

Seemingly: Explains deep truths about other Beatles songs.

Actually: Our songs aren't metaphors. Here's an endless barrage of meaningless red herrings. Our music seems to have layers (like an onion), but is quite transparent (like glass). Stop analyzing our lyrics.

#166 on Rolling Stone's top 500 of all time

Most Played Song of All Time on BBC Radio 1

On It's Surface...

A Man Commits Murder...

Confesses to His Mother...

His Mother Please For His Life With Demons...

He resigns himself to the Demons...

His Mother Storms Away in Anger...

He Acts as if His Fate is OK...

Beneath The Surface?

Freddie Mercury has his first homosexual experience...

Confesses to his then wife...

He battles with himself and his wife over his sexuality...

He accepts his homosexuality...

His wife storms away in anger...

He is upset over hurting his wife

Methaphoric Symbols

Death / Devils = Homosexuality

God / Christ = Heterosexuality

Gun = A Certain Body Part

Mama = Mary Austin (his then wife)

Open Questions?

Why Does Mercury use negative symbolism? 

Literal Interpretation: A Woman

Jay - Z: Definitely not a woman

Samples and Borrowed Lyrics: A Woman

Theme / Wordplay : Different each verse

Answer: Different Each Verse... Dave, you were partially right.

Rap rejects my tape deck, ejects projectile / Whether Jew or gentile, I rank top percentile

- Fugees, Zealot

Perfected poem, powerful punch lines

Pummeling petty powder puffs in my prime

 - Blackalicious, Alphabet Aerobics

Dead in the middle of little Italy little did we know that we riddled some middleman who didn't do diddly.

- Big Pun, Twinz

And be prosperous, though we live dangerous 

Cops could just arrest me, blamin’ us, we’re held like hostages

 - Nas, NY State of Mind

Now, what you hear is not a test, I'm rapping to the beat.
And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet.

 - Sugar Hill Gang, Rapper's Delight

The attractive assassin, 

blastin the devil trespassin

Master gettin cash in an 

orderly fashion.

 - The Roots, Respond/React

If I sell a brick I can buy a house
If they find the key they might lock me up

- Logic, Gang Related

When I come back like Jordan, wearing the 45

It ain't to play games with you... probably mame you.

 - Jay Z, Encore

I don’t half-step on the ‘caine

- Jay Z, Hello Brooklyn 2.0

You stopping us is preposterous
like an androgynous misogynist

- Talib Kweli - Twice Inna Lifetime

I refugee from Guantanamo Bay 
Dance around the border like I'm Cassius Clay

- Praz, Ready Or Not

My rhymes are like shot clocks,
interstate cops
and blood clots,
my point is your flow gets stopped.

 - Talib Kweli - Hater Players

I get a beep from Renee
Because Renee uses code 2
But yet I'm chattin' with her mom dukes
She says "Renee has been shot
So Cheeks, meet me up at St. Luke's"
I jumps on the Van Wyck
I gotta make it there quick

Once upon a time not long ago
When people wore pajamas and lived life slow
When laws were stern and justice stood
And people were behavin' like they ought ta good
There lived a lil' boy who was misled
By another lil' boy and this is what he said:
"Me and you, Ty, we gonna make some cash
Robbin' old folks and makin' tha dash"
They did the job, money came with ease
But one couldn't stop, it's like he had a disease